Dan was born June 7, 1946, in
Beaumont, Texas, the first child of the late Paul Lee Miller
[October 18, 1925 - August 14, 1974] and Marvis Nell Bailey Miller.
The little family moved to Matagorda County, Texas where in April
1950, his brother Alan Kent was born in Bay City. Later that year
the family moved to Palacios, Texas where his father became co-owner
and operator of Port Machine, Inc. His sister Paulette Lois was born
shortly after they moved to Palacios.

He attended the Palacios schools
and graduated from Palacios High School in 1964. While in high
school he was in football, FFA (officer) and the Senior Play. Also,
he was a Powderpuff Cheer-leader, attended American Legion Boys
State and was in the National Honor Society.

Continuing his education, he
received a BBA degree in advertising from Texas Technological
University at Lubbock, Texas. While in college he met Susan Rothrock,
and they were married in Palacios on November 26, 1966.

After graduation, he was
commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force through the
Reserve Officer Training Corps program, and was stationed at Brooks
Air Force Base in San Antonio for intelligence training. While at
Brooks, they shared the joy of the birth of their daughter,
Christine Danell.

He subsequently achieved his great
ambition to become a pilot while stationed at Reese Air Force Base
in Lubbock, Texas, earning his wings on May 27, 1971. He was
eventually assigned to fly an AC-130, a large cargo plane that was
redesigned to be a gun ship. While stationed in Florida, he was
promoted to Captain. He was then assigned to the 16th
Special Operations Squadron (SOS), 8th Tactical Fighter
Wing (Wolfpack), 7th Air Force which was located at Ubon
Royal Thai Air Force Base, Ubon, Ratchathani, in the Ubon
Ratchathani Province, Thailand. (Due to the difficulty in
pronouncing Ratchanthani, the name is usually shortened to Ubon.)
Six weeks before his deployment, he and his wife Susan with their
little Christine visited with the family in Palacios.

The 16th SOS flew the
advanced AC-130 E/H model aircraft code named Spectre. The Spectre
was the most deadly night-flying weapons system in Southeast Asia.
It destroyed or damaged an average of 10,000 trucks per year over
the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Additional roles included defense of hamlets
and fire bases, troops in contact with the enemy, convoy escort and
battlefield illumination. The Spectre moved to Korat Royal Thai Air
Force Base, Thailand, July 19, 1974 as part of the 388th
Tactical Fighter Wing, and concluded its involvement in Southeast
Asia from that location. Having participated in every major
campaign, the Spectre participated in Operation Eagle Pull
supporting the evacuation of Phnom Penh and Operation Frequent Wind,
the evacuation of Saigon, and figured prominently in the rescue of
the Mayaguez. Spectre’s distinguished record in Southeast Asia was
not achieved without cost; 53 aircrew members were killed in
action. The unit’s awards included: The Distinguished Unit
Citation; The Presidential Unit Citation; The Gallant Unit Citation;
The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device; The Republic
of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Device.

This area of Laos was considered a
major artery of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. When North Vietnam
began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and
Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as
the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years
before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport
weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam,
and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle
mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this
flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.

At 0300 hours, the F4D’s aircrew
saw three surface to air missiles (SAM) lift off the ground. Before
the gunship could take evasive action, one 37-foot long Soviet-built
SAM hit Specter 13. A few seconds later the AC-130A impacted the
ground on the east side of a jungle covered mountain, followed by
secondary explosions. It was the first time an AC-130 had been shot
down by a SAM. The communist stronghold in and around the town of
Tchepone lay across the valley. The wreckage of Prometheus was
located in the jungle-covered mountains approximately 12 miles south
of Ban Namm, 21 miles west of Techepone, 56 miles east of the city
of Savannakhet and 32 miles west of the Lao/Vietnamese border,
Savannakhet Province, Laos; and 45 miles due west of Khe Sanh, South
Vietnam.

Learning that a loved one is missing in
action is one of the hardest pieces of news a military family can
receive. For nearly four decades his wife, daughter, mother and sister
staunchly held on to the hope Dan would eventually be found alive, and
did everything they could to not let him be forgotten by the US
government. They made certain he remained classified as a POW/MIA until
his remains were finally identified. His wife Susan never remarried,
remaining true to her wedding vows.

In 1986 the crash site was surveyed and
excavated by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. Some remains were
recovered. In 2005 - 2006 joint teams re-surveyed the crash site and
excavated it twice. The teams found more human remains, personal effects
and crew-related equipment.

Dan’s remains were conclusively
identified in 2008; in 2010 his wife Susan flew to Hawaii to escort his
remains home. On March 29, 2010 - exactly 38 years to the day that the
mission was brought down, he was buried at the Dallas-Fort Worth
National Cemetery with full military honors. During the graveside
service an AC-130 aircraft similar to Prometheus made a low altitude
pass over the mourners.

*Spectre aircrews were not assigned to a specific
aircraft. They flew whatever aircraft they were assigned for a specific
mission. Prometheus was severely
damaged by ground fire in December 1971. A propeller on the right wing
was hit and when it sheared off it tore off the propeller next to it.
The pilots were able to bring the plane home on a wing and a prayer. It
is unknown if Dan was onboard the aircraft when it was hit.

Since the beginning of American involvement
in southeast Asia, there has been no complete accounting of U.S.
prisoners of war and missing in action.

The lack of information on the fate of these
men has prompted a proclamation by the City Council in Palacios,
proclaiming Captain Curtis D. Miller Week.

Miller, son of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Miller of
Palacios, and husband of Mrs. Susan Miller, also of Palacios, was the
pilot of an Air Force AC-130 that was shot down over Laos on March 29,
1972.

Neither Miller nor the 14 men aboard have
been heard from since.

Because of the lack of information about
POW's and MIA's, held in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, a letter
writing campaign has been instituted as part of Capt. Curtis Miller
Week, December 7-13.

The Millers' statement reads, in part, "It is
our hope that through a massive letter writing campaign, the government
of Laos will yield to public opinion, ... it takes 21 cents to mail a
letter to Laos, we ask that you inquire about the fate of Capt. Curtis
D. Miller, No. 466-72-5405, and express your concern for all the
prisoners and MIA's."

M. I. A. Awareness Day
is Sunday:
To Remember Servicemen Lost in S.E. Asia

On Sunday, June 3 there will be a gathering
on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C . at 2 p.m. for
a special ceremony entitled M.I.A. Awareness Day.

Locally, a similar observance is slated with
church bells and fire sirens sounding the reminder of the missing men in
Southeast Asia.

Captain Curtis Dan Miller, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Miller of Palacios, has been missing in Laos since March 29,
1972. Through repeated attempts, the Laos officials have reportedly
given no accounts of the men in captivity, or of the ones who have been
killed there.

In an effort to show concern over the missing
persons two addresses are available for the public to write inquiring of
the men's whereabouts.

A letter requesting information concerning
Captain Miller and others missing in action may be written and sent to
Laos.

The Daily Tribune, June 1, 1973

Palacios Man in MIA Group Son Missing Since March

LOS ANGELES (AP)--Despite
admonitions from the U.S. State Department, 53 relatives of American
servicemen declared missing in Southeast Asia have embarked on a trip
they hope will focus international attention on their plight.

The group left Monday by
plane en route to Bangkok, Thailand, where they plan to arrange for a
trip to Vientiane, capital of Laos. The State Department had advised
them not to go.

"We feel like we're
drowning in the confusion and coverup we're getting from the
government," asserted Paul Miller of Palacios, Tex. His son Capt. Curtis
D. Miller has been missing since March 29.

About 1,250 American
servicemen are listed by the Pentagon as missing in Southeast Asia. The
status of more than 100 MIAs has been changed to dead since American
prisoners of war held in Vietnam and Cambodia were released early this
year.

Members of the group,
fathers, mothers, wives, brothers and sisters of MIAs are from 20
states.

The Daily Tribune,
October 9, 1973

Palacios Rite Planned

A "Freedom Tree" will be
planted on the grounds of the Palacios Senior High School on October 19
at 3 p.m.

The tree will be dedicated
to Capt. Curtis Dan Miller, a Palacios native who has been missing in
action since March 29, 1972.

Miller's father, Paul
Miller, presently is among 52 relatives of missing men who plan to have
a vigil this week in the Laotian capital of Vientiane to demand
information about Americans missing or held prisoner by the Pathet Lao
communists.

They left Los Angeles
Monday for Laos.

"It seems that the
American people think that when the POW's returned it was all of the
men," said Mrs. Paul Miller.

"People have lost interest
in the issue of our MIAs. We still have over 1,300 men who are
unaccounted for in Southeast Asia."

"We have to find out about
our loved ones. We believe our government has the responsibility to
account for all of these men," she said.

She said the group of 52
will stay in Vientiane until about Oct. 20 to pressure the Pathet Lao
into accounting for the 308 American men believed missing in Laos.

Capt. Miller, a pilot of
an AC-130 four-engine computerized gunship, was shot down during a
predawn mission. The plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

None of the 14 crewmen
aboard has been heard from since.

The Laotian government on
Sept. 14 signed an agreement with the Pathet Lao under which the
communists agreed to account for all prisoners and persons who died in
captivity.

The agreement calls for
the information to be delivered within 30 days and all prisoners
released within 60 days.

Capt. Miller has a wife,
Susan, and a daughter, Christy, 4, both of Corpus Christi.

Speaker at the Oct. 10
planting and dedication of the "Freedom Tree" will be State Rep. Tom
Uher of Bay City.

The
Daily Tribune, October 10, 1973

Susan, Paul and Marvis Nell MillerPhoto courtesy of Pam Davidson

Friends, Classmates Honor Palacios MIA
By Tom Jones

Paul Miller of Palacios returned today
from Laos after a fruitless effort to find out the whereabouts of his
son, Capt. Curtis D. Miller, missing since March of 1972 when his plane
was shot down.

He at least will have the small
consolation of knowing that hometown folks care.

That
was demonstrated Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the Palacios High
School, where a tree was planted in honor of the missing pilot.

It was somber, moving affair and
participants were visibly affected. Curtis was a graduate of Palacios
High and it was obvious that many of his teachers keenly felt his loss.

"He was one of my boys," said one male
teacher, making an effort to hold back tears.

Speaker for the occasion was State Rep.
Tom Uher of Bay City.

"We come here today to dedicate this
oak tree to a great American, outstanding Texan and native Palacian."
Uher said.

"Because we know the beauty of this
magnificent tree," he said, "and we know that this tree, as it grows,
will become one that will provide shade...and we know that the trunk
supports the tree.
"Capt. Miller dedicated his life that this precious commodity of freedom
that we take so much for granted would be made available to the people
of Southeast Asia.

"When we heard the National Anthem
today, if you'll recall those words and say those words, they have so
much significance. We all recall from history that the people kept
coming...pushing for freedom...through two wars and right up to
Southeast Asia...

"These wars have not been fought for
the aggrandizement of the United States...These wars have been fought
for a person...that a person should have the right of his choice, to
worship the God of his or her choice, to be a doctor or carpenter.

"And this is Capt. Danny Miller. This
is what Capt. Miller fought for and I think this tree we are dedicating
today will signify his character and his courage," Uher went on.

"I think if Capt. Miller were here
today he would say 'Don't let your guard down for freedom.'"

"I hope that as we come by and enjoy
this tree in the future we will all remember Capt. Miller," he
concluded.

The ceremonies were opened by the
Palacios High School Band playing the National Anthem.

The Rev. Jim Abernathey gave the
invocation.

Following
Uher's speech, Mayor W. C. Jackson presented High School Principal J. G.
Smith, Jr. with a plaque to be mounted at the school in Miller's honor.

The actual tree planting ceremony was
conducted by former classmates of Miller and his wife.

Members of the audience were asked to
remember that Miller's father at that very time was in Laos on his
mission with members of other families of missing military and to give
him their kindest thoughts.

The ceremonies concluded with the
Palacios band playing the Palacios Alma Mater, perhaps the best and most
moving performance they have every put on.

At the conclusion, there were few dry
eyes.

The Daily Tribune, October 22,
1973

1300 GIs Still Unaccounted For
by Tom Jones

People, being the unusual
species that they are, have a tendency to forget.

For instance, by now, to
most people the Vietnam War is nothing more than a bad memory.

To most people that is.

But to some people, like
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Miller of Palacios, the Vietnam War is a living
nightmare.

They are among the 1,300
families in the United States who lost a loved one in that conflict.
Some of these missing American servicemen have been gone as long as 10
years without a trace.

The Miller's nightmare
began in March of 1972 when their son, Capt. Curtis Dan Miller, was
reported missing after his bomber was shot down over Laos.

Since then, not a word.

Even though the Millers
have sent numerous letters and telegrams and Mr. Miller made a futile
trip to Laos, the only reception has been one of stoney silence.

When the Paris Peace
Agreement was signed more than a year ago, North Vietnam and the Viet
Cong agreed to help account for these missing men.

This has not been done. A
total of 1,300 families do not know what happened to their men.

To rekindle public
interest, a nationwide campaign has been launched to help these families
get an accounting of their men.

Concerned Americans across
the United States are sending a few grains of American soil to Hanoi to
show that people care, and want these men accounted for.

The envelope of soil
should be addressed to: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DRV, Hanoi, North
Vietnam .

The campaign is being
operated under the title of "We Think It's Important."

Mr. Miller was a deacon at Trinity Baptist and fellow
deacons will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be nephews,
employees of Port Machine, Inc. and the mayor and members of the
Palacios City Council.

No word has been heard of Capt. Miller since his
bomber [gunship] was shot down while flying over Laos.

In 1973 Mr. Miller made a trip to Laos in an effort
to determine the status of his son, but to no avail.

Friends and classmates of the missing airman have
commemorated his memory by planting a “freedom tree: on the lawn of
Palacios High School, where he had graduated.

A campaign presently is being conducted to help the
families of servicemen missing in Southeast Asia learn the status of
their loved ones.

Under the slogan of “We Think It’s Important,”
citizens are urged to send a few grains of American soil to Hanoi to
show that people care and want these men accounted for.

Paul Lee Miller, 48, of Palacios, passed away August
14, in the St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston. Survivors include: Wife, Mrs.
Marvis Nell Miller of Palacios; mother, Mrs. Ruth E. Miller of Palacios;
a daughter, Mrs. Paulette Mumme of Portland; 2 sons, Capt. Curtis Daniel
Miller missing in action in Viet Nam since March 29, 1972 and Alan Kent
Miller of Houston; 2 sisters, Mrs. Aileen Wishard of Houston and Mrs.
Ozell Young of Palacios; a brother, Louis E. Miller of Beaumont; one
grand child, Christine Danell Miller. Mr. Miller had been a resident of
Palacios since 1950 and was a Deacon of the Trinity Baptist Church.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, August, 17, at 10:00 a. m. in
the Trinity Baptist Church, Palacios. Rev. J. R. Gwin and Rev. Holly
Whitfield will be officiating. The interment will be Graveside services
at 5:00 p. m. Saturday in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Lufkin.
Pallbearers will be the Deacons of the Trinity Baptist Church and
Honorary Pallbearers will be nephews, employees of Port Machine, Inc.,
the mayor and members of the City Council of Palacios. Arrangements will
be with the Palacios Funeral Home.

After 38 years of having been listed as “Missing In Action” (MIA) as a
result of the Vietnam War, the family of former Palacian and PHS
graduate Major Curtis Daniel (Dan) Miller has recently been notified by
the U.S. Air Force that his remains have been found.

Services to honor Dan’s love and sacrifice for his
country are being planned for 2 p.m. March 29, 2010 (the date he became
missing in 1972) at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000
Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas.

He will be honored with full military honors. All of
Dan’s friends, and especially classmates, are invited to attend.

Dan grew up in Palacios. He was the son of Nell and
the late Paul Miller.

His father, Paul, was owner and operator of Port
Machine & Repair Service and Port Shipyard. His mother, Nell, was a
nurse for many years at Wagner General Hospital.

He had a younger brother, Alan Kent, and a sister,
Paulette.

Dan graduated in 1964 from Palacios High School where
he played football for the Sharks. He also had a leading role in the
senior play.

“He was one of only two students his senior year that
were selected by the faculty to attend Boy’s State in Austin and learn
first hand about state government,” recalls his mother, Nell Miller
Smith, who now lives in Huntsville, Tx.

He continued his education at Texas Tech University
where he spent four years in the R. O. T. C. Program. During this time
he got his desire for flying and to be a pilot. Also, this is where he
met his future wife, Susan Rothrock. They were married before he
finished college.

Dan graduated from Texas Tech and R. O. T. C as a 2nd
Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force in 1968. Ironically, it was also the
same day his brother, Kent, graduated from Palacios High School.

After graduation, Dan was stationed at Brooks Air
Force Base in San Antonio for Intelligence Training. This is where he
and Susan became parents to a daughter, Christine Danell, born in
September 1969.

He subsequently achieved his great ambition to become
a pilot while stationed at Reese AFB in Lubbock. He was eventually
assigned to fly an AC-130, a large cargo plane that was re-designed to
be a gun ship. While stationed in Florida, he was promoted to Captain.

In late 1971, Dan was sent to Southeast Asia to serve
in the Vietnam War. He was stationed at Ubon AFB in Thailand.

On March 29, 1972, with a crew of 14 and flying over
the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos at about 3 a.m., the plane was struck and
brought down by a surface-to-air missile.

“’Beepers’ were heard that indicated some of the crew
had survived the crash. However, after daylight when planes from the
base went back to search for survivors, none could be found,” said Nell.
“There was hope that the men had gone into hiding in the jungle or had
been captured.”

Since that time, the Miller family has spent much
time, energy, and money traveling all over the United States, especially
to Washington D. C., meeting with elected officials and military
personnel trying to find information about the fate of their son and
husband.

Dan’s father, along with 51 other family members with
a missing loved one, even made a special trip to Laos for information.
Laos had promised the release of all U.S. military prisoners-of-war (P.
O. W.) in the Fall of 1973 when their ‘special’ government was
established after the war.

Unfortunately, this group of 52 returned home very
disappointed because the government of Laos stated that it did not have
any P. O. W.

“We knew in reality that they did have American P. O.
W. because some prisoners were able to escape,” said Nell. “They stated
additional live Americans were being held when they escaped.”

Sadly, Dan’s father, Paul, died in August 1974 never
knowing the fate of his son.

Nell feels that she lost two men to what she calls
“that senseless war”. Paul died with heart problems that Nell feels were
a result of a “broken heart” due to Dan being M. I. A. and Paul feeling
helpless in being able to find his lost son.

Also, Dan’s only brother, Alan Kent, has died since
he became missing.

A “Freedom Tree”, dedicated to the return of all P.
O. W. and those missing in action in Southeast Asia, was planted on the
grounds of Palacios High School by his classmates in 1973.

Over the many years Dan’s mother and sister,
Paulette, have kept yellow ribbons tied to that beautiful growing tree.
“We were praying and hoping for Dan’s live return,” Nell said.

Flags all across Matagorda County will be flying at
half-staff on Monday, March 29, in honor of United States Air Force Maj.
Curtis "Dan" Miller, Matagorda Countys final unaccounted for casualty of
the Vietnam War, being laid to rest with full military honors at the
Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.

Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald received written permission from
Gov. Rick Perry's office to lower state and national flags in Matagorda
County on the day of Maj. Miller's burial.

"On behalf of Governor Perry and this office, let me express our sincere
condolences on the loss of this fine Texan," read the email from Gregory
S. Davidson, executive clerk to the governor and director of the
constituent communication division of the office of the governor.

"Although it has been many years since he was reported missing in
action, your community should be proud that is produced a brace and
honorable man such as Major Curtis Daniel Miller."

According to law, only the President of the United States and the
Governor can order the U.S. flag to half-staff, prompting the need for
the request.

The opportunity to lower flags in honor of Miller's sacrifice has been a
long-time-coming - exactly 38 years to the day, in fact.

According to an account taken from The Virtual Wall, Miller, a Palacios
native, was a co-pilot aboard an AC-130A Hercules Spectre gunship of the
16th Special Operations Squadron that took off with 14 men from Ubon
Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand on the night of March 29, 1972.

The crew was flying a night reconnaissance mission over supply routes
used by North Vietnamese forces in Laos.

The AC-130 was accompanied by a section of F-4 Phantoms.

At about 3 a.m., while attacking a convoy approximately 56 miles east of
Savannakhet in southern Laos, the AC-130 was hit by a Surface to Air
Missile (SAM).

A few seconds later the AC-130A impacted the ground on the east side of
a jungle covered mountain and was consumed by secondary explosions.

As one of the F-4D escorts flew low over the burning wreckage, he was
unable see any sign of survivors.

However, several minutes later emergency beeper signals were heard by
the F-4D escorts and another AC-130A gunship operating nearby ("Spectre
10") and his escorts.

No voice contact was established with any of the downed aircrew.

Search and rescue efforts began but ended about 6:30 p.m. the next day
when no trace of the crew was found.

Major Miller was born in Palacios on June7, 1946 to Paul and Nell Miller
and was a graduate of Palacios High School and Texas Tech University.

Miller's father Paul died before his son was found but his mother Nell
is a resident of Huntsville and will join his wife Susan and daughter
Christy, both of Azle, in welcoming him back to Texas for a final
resting place.

Matagorda County commissioners will vote Monday morning on a resolution
proclaiming March 29, 2010 as Major Curtis Daniel Miller Day in
Matagorda County.

The resolution also supports the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education
Center.

McDonald said Matagorda County should be proud to honor this man and his
family on Monday.

"He epitomizes what Americans should be," said McDonald.

"He's just a great American and I'm thankful that the family finally
gets to put to rest the question of where he is and where he's been."

March 29 now "Dan Miller Day"

By Heather Menzies, Bay City Tribune,
Published April 1, 2010

As friends and family of Air Force Major Curtis
Daniel "Dan" Miller prepared to finally lay their loved one to rest at
the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Matagorda County Commissioners
met to proclaim Monday, March 29, in Miller's honor.

Commissioners also approved a proclamation of support for the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Education Center.

The proclamation reads, in part, "Today, after being listed as an MIA
(Missing In Action) since March 29, 1972, Major Dan Miller will be laid
to rest at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery with full military
honors, coming home to Texas after 38 years, and being the 19th and
final casualty of the Vietnam War from Matagorda County."

Flags at the courthouse and around Bay City were lowered to half-staff,
with special permission from Texas Governor Rick Perry, in honor of
Miller.

"We're just glad they finally got some closure and Major Miller is back
home where he belongs," said Osborne.

As a second part to the proclamation, commissioners will support
construction for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center that
will be built underground across from The Wall.

According to the proclamation, "the Education Center will feature the
Wall of Faces, digital images of the 58,261 casualties memorialized on
The Wall, and the Hall of Heroes, representative images of those who
have served in other wars, as well as an artifacts collection of more
than 100.000 items left as The Wall, and related educational material on
site and online."

"The education center will share and celebrate core values of duty,
loyalty, respect, service, honor, courage, integrity and stories that
must be preserved and shared with future generations."

The proclamation "calls upon citizens of Matagorda County to join
(commissioners) in supporting the project to commemorate the sacrifice
of Major Curtis Miller, as well as, all who served and died for their
country."

The commissioners agreed Monday, March 29, 2010, should forever be
remembered as Major Curtis Daniel "Dan" Miller day in Matagorda County
in recognition of his service, valor and ultimate sacrifice while
representing Matagorda County 38 years ago.

Welcome Home Tree
April 24, 2010

In solemn ceremonies sometimes sprinkled with smiles,
laughter and happy memories, U.S. Air Force Major Curtis
Daniel “Dan” Miller was posthumously welcomed home to
Palacios Saturday with the planting of a “Welcome Home” oak
tree on Palacios High School grounds, just west of the
softball field.

Miller, a native of
Palacios and 1964 PHS graduate, was piloting an Air Force
AC-130 gun ship with a crew of 14 when it was shot down
March 19, 1972 by a surface-to-air missile while flying over
the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. He was listed as “Missing In
Action” until it was recently confirmed that his remains had
been found.

More than 200 men, women and children were present at the
“Welcome Home” tree planting, including Miller’s mother,
Nell Miller Smith, and his sister, Paulette Miller Mumme,
and some 25 members of the Matagorda County Calvary.
Miller’s father, Paul Miller, died in 1974 and younger
brother, Alan Kent Miller, a 1968 PHS graduate, also died.

Just before the ceremonies began, a low-flying Coast Guard
crew plane tipped its wings as flew over in its landing
pattern to the Palacios Airport.

Following the invocation by the Rev. Lewis Rush, pastor of
Trinity Baptist Church, who also served as master of
ceremonies, PHS band director James Popham played the Air
Force hymn, “Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder.” Popham
also played “Taps” at the close of the ceremonies.

Shannon Miller— no relation, a 1965 PHS graduate, who along
with his parents, were close friends of Dan and his family,
was the first to speak. “Dan and I spent a lot of our
growing up years together,” he noted.

He read a letter from Dan’s widow, Susan, stating that she
and daughter, Christy Miller Hollerich, were unable to
attend due to a meeting of a foundation she is deeply
involved in and that the meeting had been scheduled far in
advance of the local ceremonies.

Shannon Miller gave what he called a summary of the March 29
(same date as when Dan became missing) ceremonies at the
Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery where Dan’s remains were
buried with full military honors.

“It was fantastic, very,
very moving,” Shannon said about the some three-mile long
procession and graveside ceremonies, in which the Matagorda
County Calvary motorcycle group escorted the procession on
about a 30-mile route.

“Even those big 18-wheelers stopped and the drivers got out
and saluted as we passed,” he said.

Shannon Miller reported Dan’s wedding ring had been found in
Laos several years ago and had been returned to Susan, “all
shined up and looking just like new.”

“It’s
against Air Force regulations to carry personal effects when on a
mission, but that was Dan. He did things his way,” Shannon said.

Dan’s sister, Paulette, read a poem, titled, “My Brother Dan,” which she
said took her eight days to write. Excerpts from the poem included the
following:

“He could always get teachers & friends to see things his
way

“He was sweet & convincing, how he did it I don’t know today

“He was extra fun loving and very, very smart

“Because after all he was a Palacios Shark

“The last time I saw him when he came to town

“We went riding in the ‘55’ T-Bird and the top was down

“He was so proud, just smiling ear to ear

“Driving his car fast & scaring his sister- - he had no
fear.

“I know Dan’s in Heaven with my Dad Paul & Kent,

“He was a Christian and that’s where he was sent,

“In my home they appeared--- three angelic male forms,

“They came to calm us during a storm.”

Copies of the complete poem were available at the table where various
mementoes and photographs of Dan his family were displayed.

Others speaking at the
ceremonies included Calvin Huddleston, who read his poem, “Hero Comes
Home;” fellow 1964 PHS graduate Raymond Morgan; Danny Lee, captain of
the Matagorda County Cavalry, who also gave a gift to Dan’s sister; and
a representative of the Missing In Action (MIA) organization who
commended Miller’s mother for her years of traveling across the United
States and meeting with elective and military officials trying to find
out information on her son.

Several veterans of the Vietnam and Korean “wars” were present. Members
of the Palacios VFW Post provided the color guard. Prior to the tree
planting, Dan’s mother, who now lives in Huntsville, expressed her
thanks to those in attendance.

The Palacios Beacon,
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Fallen Airmen Laid to Rest After 38 Years

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON,
Va., June 18, 2010 – Unidentified remains of 14 fallen Air Force AC-130
gunship crewmembers were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
here yesterday, nearly 40 years after their aircraft was shot down over
southern Laos.

The crew was killed in action March 29, 1972, in the
midst of the Vietnam War.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford presented an
American flag to the families. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Anthony Wade
and Rev. Martin McGill presided over the service.

Full military honors included a flag-draped casket
and carrying team, a firing party, a band and bugler, a horse-drawn
caisson and escorts from the Air Force Honor Guard. All 14 names will be
included on the headstone.

Representatives from the families of 13 of the airmen
attended the ceremony. Several members of Rolling Thunder, an advocacy
group for the return of all prisoners of war and those missing in
action, also attended the service.

"Individual remains were identified and returned to
each of the family members with the exception of Lt. Col. Brauner's,
who was included in the group remains buried Thursday," Larry Greer, a
spokesman for the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, said in an
interview today with American Forces Press Service.

Young and Caniford were buried here individually in
2008, said Kaitlin Horst, a spokeswoman for the cemetery.

Forensic anthropologists and scientists from the
Defense Department are confident all 14 airmen were involved in the
crash, Greer said. The scientists used identification tools,
circumstantial evidence and DNA tests to match the crewmembers’ remains
with their families, Greer said. Scientists also used dental comparisons
to identify remains.

“All of these men have been accounted for, and the
families have accepted the identification,” Greer said. “These final,
full-honor services are to recognize the sacrifices that these men made
and their families made, and all of us involved in this mission feel it
an honor to bring closure to these families.”

The crew’s plane was shot down by a surface-to-air
missile during an armed reconnaissance mission. Search and rescue
efforts were hindered because of heavy enemy activity in the area and
were stopped after only a few days, Greer said.

The first remains were recovered in 1986 by a joint
U.S.-Laos team, Greer said. Recovered items included two identification
tags, life support equipment and aircraft wreckage, he added.

Between 1986 and 1998, nine members of the aircrew
were positively identified. Follow-on surveys and excavations in 2005
and 2006 found more remains, personal effects and other equipment, he
said.

The remains of more than 900 service members killed in
the Vietnam War have been returned to their families since 1972. More
than 1,700 remain unaccounted-for.

In the past year, the Joint Prisoners of War and
Missing in Action Accounting Command has accounted for 98 service members
missing from the Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. More than
80,000 service members from the three wars remain unaccounted-for. Nearly
2,000 from the same wars have been accounted for and returned to their
families.

Department of Defense Non-Commercial Use of Imagery

An Air Force honor guard carries a casket holding
unidentified remains during a burial service at Arlington
National Cemetery, June 17, 2010. The ceremony honored 14
airmen who were killed in March 1972 when their aircraft was
shot down over southern Laos. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st
Class Michael J. Carden

Families observe as an Air Force honor guard folds the flag
that draped a casket containing unidentified remains during
a burial service at Arlington National Cemetery, June 17,
2010. The ceremony honored 14 airmen who were killed in
March 1972 when their aircraft was shot down over southern
Laos. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden

An Air Force honor guard provides honors at a burial service
at Arlington National Cemetery, June 17, 2010. The ceremony
honored 14 airmen who were killed in March 1972 when their
aircraft was shot down over southern Laos. DoD photo by Army
Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden

Members of Rolling Thunder, a Vietnam War veterans group
that works for the return of prisoners of war and those
missing in action, pay their respects during a burial
service at Arlington National Cemetery, June 17, 2010. The
ceremony honored 14 airmen killed in March 1972 when their
aircraft was shot down over southern Laos. DoD photo by Army
Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden